Hair curler



Nov. 2, 1965 J. H. WEINBERG 3,215,149

HAIR GURLER Filed April 23, 1963 HUH llllllllillll Ill BYQZQZWZS. W

United States Patent O 3,215,149 HAIR CURLER Joel H. Weinberg, 3131 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NX. Filed Apr. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 274,989 Claims. (Cl. 132-40) This invention relates to a hair curler. In general, this invention relates to a new and improved hair curler. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a hair curler which can be formed from only two distinct molded plastic parts in a manner which is simple and easy to manufacture. Further, the hair curler -of the present invention can be easily assembled into a finished product.

In the past, molded plastic hair curlers have been designed which utilize tubular main bodies and end caps having Icomb teeth about the periphery thereof. The end caps telescoped into the ends of the main body. However, all of these pri-or hair curlers utilized flanges for guiding the comb teeth as the end caps telescoped into and out of the main body. These flanges limited the amount of hair which could be wound around the curler, and caused hair to be thrown off of the curler by a camrning action. Further, hair would get caught between the combs and the holes in the flanges and crack the ends `of the users hair. Further, the provision of the holes for cooperation with the teeth unnecessarily complicated the design of the dies for making the same and materially increased the price of the end product.

In accordance with the teahhings of the present invention, the need for flanges has been eliminated. This has been accomplished by utilizing a plastic material having high tensile strength and great resilience for the end cap comb teeth so that they will not break olf when subjected to heavy stresses and will return to their original shape after the stress is removed. In one embodiment of the present invention, the material utilized for the end caps is linear polyethylene. However, it is within the scope of the present invention to utilize other polymeric moldable material having the properties of high tensile strength and resilience discussed above.

The present invention contemplates utilizing a molded tubular main body which may be provided with a plurality of radially outwardly directed projections at spaced points therearound. The end caps may be made from the `same material or a material having slightly more resilience than the material of the main body. As per the present invention, the main body has at least one radially inwardly projecting rib extending for substantially the full length of the main body on its inner peripheral surface. Each of the end caps is provided with a tubular guide member having an axially extending groove on its outer peripheral surface for the full length thereof. Each of the end caps and the body are provided with ycooperating substantially semicircular beads which assist in retaining the end caps in assembled disposition with respect to the main body.

Thus, the end caps of the present invention are more easily assembled onto the main body and are guided by the inwardly projecting ribs cooperating with the grooves on the tubular guide members. Such cooperation results in minimal cooking of the end caps with respect to the main body. Since the guide means is disposed within the tubular main body, the hair curler of the present invention will not catch hairs and crack them as has been the problem with prior are hair curlers.

In view of the above, it is a general object of this invention to provide a new and improved hair curler.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a hair curler which is simple to manufacture and capable of being manufactured from two molded parts.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive hair curler having minimal play between the end caps and the tubular body.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel hair curler having telescoping end caps guided by a rib extending the full length of the main body and disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the main body.

It is another object of the present invention t-o provide a novel hair curler wherein limit stops for the end caps are effected by means of arcuate beads on the end caps and the main body.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGURE l is a side elevational view of a hair curler built in accordance with the present invent-ion.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the hair curler illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a partial elevation view of one end of a tubular guide member.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a hair curler designated generally as 10.

The hair curler It) includes a generally tubular main body l2 made from a polymeric material. The body 12 is provided with radially outwardly directed projections 16 at spaced points therearound and has a plurality of holes 22 extending therethrough. Each of the holes 22 is triangular shaped and aids in the drying of hair wrapped therearound since they permit air to pass through the main body. In place of the projections 1,6, the main body could be formed with a roughened surface to increase the frictional engagement of the main body with hair wrapped therearound when the hair curler of the present invention is being utilized.

The main body 12 is provided with axially extending ribs 24 and 26 on the inner peripheral surface thereof. The ribs project radially inwardly and have a length which is slightly less than the length of the main body 12. Thus, rib 24 is provided with a rounded end 28 slightly below the horizontal plane of the end face 30 of the body 12 as shown more clearly in FIGURE 3.

The ribs 24 and 26 are disposed diametrically opposite one another and aid in guiding the telescoping end caps 18 and 20. The end caps 18 and 20 are identical. Accordingly, it is deemed sufficient for the purposes of the present invention to only describe end cap 18 in detail. It will be understood that the structure of end cap 1S and its relationship with the main body 12 alsov applies to the end cap 20.

End cap 18 includes a tubular guide member 34 adapted to be telescopically arranged with respect to the body 12 and a radially outwardly directed end ange 32. Flange 32 is provided with a plurality of spaced integral teeth 36 having fillets 38 at the point where the teeth are integral with the flange 32. The teeth 36 extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body 12.

The tubular guide member 34 is provided with grooves 40 and 42 at diammetrically opposite points `on its outer peripheral surface. The depth of the grooves 40 and 42 corresponds to the amount which the ribs 24 and 26 project radially inwardly from the inner peripheral surface of the body 12. The rib 24 is disposed within the groove 40 and the rib 26 is disposed within the groove 42. This structural interrelationship aids in guiding the end caps 3 18 and 20 when the end caps are telescoped with respect to the main body 12,

As shown more clearly in FIGURES 3 and 5, the grooves 40 and 42 extend for the full length of the tubular guide member 34. The end of the grooves 40 and 42 remote from the flange 32 is beveled to provide easy entrance of the rib thereinto. Hence, groove 40 is provided with a beveled surface 46. Tubular guide member 34 terminates at the end remote from the flange 32 in a pair of substantially semicircular beads 44 and 44 which ex tend radially outwardly from the outer peripheral surface of the tubular guide member 34. Each of the beads 44 and 44 extends from groove 40 to groove 42.

The inner peripheral surface of the body 12 is provided with a pair of semicircular beads 48 and 4S' which extend radially inwardly from the inner peripheral surface of the body 12. The beads 48 and 48 extend between the ribs 24 and 26. The height of the beads 43 and 48' corresponds to the height of the beads 44 and 44. Each of the beads 44, 44', 48 and 48' is provided with tapered side faces and is collinear. Thus, the outer peripheral surface of the tubular guide member 34 is in abutting contact with the inner peripheral surface of the beads 48 and 48'. Likewise, the outer peripheral surface of the beads 44 and 44 are in abutting contact with the inner peripheral surface of the body 12. Such abutting contact provides sufficient frictional engagement so that the end caps 18 and 20 will remain in any pre-set disposition with respect to the body 12. Hence, the disposition of the end caps 18 and 20 with respect to the main body 12 will not be disturbed by movements of the users head. Thus, the tendency of the hair to become accidentally separated from the hair curler by movement of the user will be minimized.

It will be noted. that the beads 48 and 48 are spaced axially inwardly from the end face 30 of the body 12. The beads 48 and 48 constitute a limit stop since the axial movement of the end cap 18 will terminate when the bead 48 contacts the bead 44 and bead 48 contacts bead 44. Upon such contact, it will be noted that the tips of the teeth 36 will overlap the end of the body 12 for a slight distance which is less than one-eighth of an inch.

In actual practice, this overlap is in the neighborhood of a thirty-second of an inch. This results in exposing the entire surface of the body 12 so that hair may be wrapped therearound and thereby provide for maximum utilization of the hair curler of the present invention. Of course, it will be understood that the end face 30 on the body 12 cooperates with the flange 32 to dene the extent to which the end cap 18 may telescope into the body 12.

In assembling the end caps with respect to the body 12, each end cap is forced in an axial direction thereby distorting the beads 44 and 44 until they pass over the beads 4S and 48. Axial reciprocation of the end caps is guided by means of the Icooperation between the ribs 24 and 26 and the grooves 40 and 42. The hair curler of the present invention has a lesser tendency of the end caps to cock with respect to the main body as a result of the cooperation between the ribs 24 and 26 and the grooves 40 and 42. The provision of ribs 24 and 26 which extend substantially the full length of the body 12 enables the body 12 to be made of cheaper, more flexible material and yet have suflicient rigidity to function as a body for the hair curler of the present invention. Thus, the ribs 24 and 26 act as a reinforcement means for the main body 12 as well as a guide means for the end caps 18 and 20.

It is believed that the manner in which the hair curler of the present invention is utilized is obvious to those skilled in the art and, therefore, need not be described in detail.

The present invention may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A hair curler comprising a tubular main body, first and second end caps slidably engaged with opposite end portions of said main body, each end cap having an annular end wall with an outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of said main body, teeth integral with each end wall and extending axially inwardly toward the opposite end wall, said teeth being spaced around the periphery of each end wall, a tubular guide member lintegral with each end wall and coaxial with respect to said main body, each guide member telescoping into said main body, at least one longitudinally extending rib on the inner peripheral surface of said body, an axially extending groove on the -outer peripheral surface of said guide members cooperating with said rib, said grooves extending from the free end of said guide members toward the flange on their respective guide members, and locking means for limiting the extent to which the end caps may be reciprocated in a direction away from said main body, said locking means including cooperating structure on the outer peripheral surface of said guide members and the inner peripheral surface of said main body at a location disposed to one side of said rib.

2. A hair curler in accordance with claim` 1 wherein the depth of said grooves is less than the thickness of said tubular guide members, and the ends of said grooves remote from the flanges being beveled to increase the transverse dimension of the grooves.

3. A hair curler in accordance with claim 1 wherein said main body is provided with a pair of ribs diametrically opposite one another, each of said tubular guide members having a pair of grooves diametrically opposite one another, each groove receiving one of said ribs, and the surfaces of said locking means being disposed between the ribs and grooves.

4. A hair curler in accordance with claim 3 wherein said surfaces of said locking means are radially inwardly projecting beads on said main body in frictional engagement with said tubular guide members and radially outwardly projecting lbeads on said tubular guide members in frictional engagement with said main body.

5. A hair curler in accordance with claim 4 wherein the beads on said main body are spaced from the ends of said main body, and the beads on said tubular guide members being positioned so that the free end of the teeth will just barely overlap the ends of the tubular body when the beads on said body and end caps are in abutting contact.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,008,475 11/61 Solomon 132-41 3,064,659 11/62 Solomon 132-40 3,103,223 9/63 Trabish 13241 3,123,079 3/64 Buesgen 132-40 3,126,896 3/64 Lehn et al. 132-41 RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner. 

1. A HAIR CURLER COMPRISING A TUBULAR MAIN BODY, FIRST A SECOND END CAPS SLIDABLY ENGAGED WITH OPPOSITE END PORTIONS OF SAID MAIN BODY, EACH END CAP HAVING AN ANNULAR END WALL WITH AN OUTER DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE OUTER DIAMETER OF SAID MAIN BODY, TEETH INTEGRAL WITH EACH END WALL AND EXTENDING AXIALLY INWARDLY TOWARD THE OPPOSITE END WALL, SAID TEETH BEING SPACED AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF EACH END WALL, A TUBULAR GUIDE MEMBER INTEGRAL WITH EACH END WALL AND COAXIAL WITH RESPECT TO SAID MAIN BODY, EACH GUIDE MEMBER TELESCOPING INTO SAID MAIN BODY, AT LEAST ONE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING RIB ON THE INNER PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID BODY, AN AXIALLY EXTENDING GROOVE ON THE OUTER PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID GUIDE MEMBERS COOPERATING WITH SAID RIB, SAID GROOVES EXTENDING FROM THE FREE END OF SAID GUIDE MEMBERS TOWARD THE FLANGE ON THEIR RESPECTIVE GUIDE MEMBERS, AND LOCKING MEANS FOR LIMITING FOR EXTENT TO WHICH THE END CAPS MAY BE RECIPROCATED IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID MAIN BODY, SAID LOCKING MEANS INCLUDING COOPERATING STRUCTURE ON THE OUTER PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID GUIDE MEMBERS AND THE INNER PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID MAIN BODY AT A LOCATION DISPOSED TO ONE SIDE OF SAID RIB. 